Erhalt uns, Herr

The text, "The glory of these forty days," is from a 6th C. Latin hymn, referring to the temptation of Christ in the wilderness; the glory not being, of course, the temptation itself, but the victory over that temptation. The period of forty days - and this hymn - have for centuries since been embedded into the observance of Lent. Note that the very second phrase of the hymn is "we celebrate with songs of praise," signalling that Lent is not a period of - nor does self-reflection require - mourning. The hymn tune ERHALT UNS, HERR is the successor to a chant tune associated with the text Veni Redemptor gentium. The first arrangement of this text and tune has been attributed to Martin Luther, first in a 1541 broadsheet in low German, then a high German version appearing two years later in Klug's Geistliche Lieder (1543). The hymnal version was harmonized by Johann Sebastian Bach, and the tune forms the basis for Cantata 126, Erhalt' uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort ("Keep us, Lord, according to thy Word").

This site uses cookies, but we aren't cookie monsters. Other than minimal user data for access to secure pages, we store no personal information. There are no personalized tracking apps or APIs used on this website. By using this website, you accept these terms.